Game apparatus



March 31, 1931. M A. EARLEY ET AL 1,799,009

GAME APPARATUS Filed ooi. 19. 1929 Patented Mar. 31, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IABTIN A. EABLEY AND MAURICE ROBERTS, F ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA GAME APPARATUS Application llled October 19, 1929. Serial No. 400,863.

Our invention relates to a game apparatus more aptly termed a practice-apparatus in which golf clubs are used, the device includ ing a movable, guided ball and certain apparatus operated by its movement and indicating the force of the blow with which the ball is struck in approximate proportion to the number of yards such ball would travel in a real game of golf. The preferred construction of our device is fully disclosed in the accompanying drawing in which,-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus in operative position.

Fig. 2 is a left hand end elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, in enlarged scale, as on line 3-8 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail view as on line 4-4 in Fig. 2, showing certain interior operating parts at the junction of the base and upright members of our device.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view, on a horizontal plane, of the mast or upright member ason line 5 5 Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the golf-ball mi carriage of the device.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, the main frame structure of our device comprises a horizontal base member and a similar but upright member preferably hingedly connected to said base member. The latter (base) comprises two parallel bars 10 fixed in parallel relation by suitable means, such as bolts 11. 12 are a pair of inwardly opening channel rails fixed to the upper and adjacent areas of the main bars 10, said channels providing a track for an elongated golfball holder or carriage designated C and having pairs of side rollers C2 riding on the lower flanges of said track members.

The upright frame comprises also two spaced main bars 13 suitably connected rigidly in spaced relation same as the base bars 10 and preferably hinged to said base mem bers as at 14 so that the upright part may r be swung down to lie on top of the base part.

15 is a golfeball or other ball similar to a standard golf-ball and has a stem 15A eX tending downwardly into and suitably fixed in the carriage C (see Fig. 6)', the ball being fixed thus to the carriage in a position above the top of the latter corresponding to the normal height to which a golf ball is normally raised above the ground in an actual golf game. The arm 15A holds the ball in rearward direction and with the carriage in starting position near the free end of the base members 10 a player stands opposite said ball in proper stance and swings a club toward the ball as indicated by arrow 16, Fig. 1. The entire carriage riding freely on its rails travels swiftly toward the upright member, the carriage itself contacting with certain means catapulting another guided ball 17 upwardly on a wire 18 fixed between the upright bars 13 (see Figs. 2 and 4). The 65 front end of the carriage C is tapered downwardly as at C', the pointed or chisel like forward edOe thereof comprising the contact means whiclli engages the rear arm of a catapult-lever 19 mounted on a transverse shaft 20 fixed in the forward parts of the bars 10, said rear arm of the lever extending' in a downward direction and always in the path of the carriage C with the terminus of said leverrarm always below the level of the point of the carriage. Therefore when the carriage strikes this arm it is forced downwardly forcing the front arm of it upwardly to force the ball 17 upwardly on wire 18. The said front arm of the lever 19 may be bifurcated to straddle the wire 1S and the ball 17 normally rests thereon, as in Fig. 4.

As above described, the ball 17 is forced upwardly to a height according to the force of the blow with which lever 19 is tilted. In S5 the path of the upwardly moving ball 17 are a number of vertically spaced tilting bails 21, preferably of wire and j ournaled in bearing means 22 on the face of one of the bars 13, said part of each bail in the path of the ball 17 comprising a normally horizontal arm 21A, and externally of said bar 13 formed with another longer arm 21B in common plane with 21A. 23 is a vertically reciprocable rod slidably mounted in spaced relation to a bar 13 in bearings 24, the lower end of said rod normally resting on the front end of a release-trigger lever 25 presently to be described.

23]? are a number of fixed pins in rod 23 extending inwardly toward adjacent frame bar 13, each said pin normally supporting a tilting bail arm 21B in horizontal plane. It is obvious that when ball 17 is forced upwardly it passes one or more of said bail arms 21A merely forcing them upwardly until they swing out of its path, each bail immediately dropping back to horizontal resting position and supported by its pin 23]?. When the upward force in ball 17 is spent it drops to stopping position against and on the nearest lower arm 21A. On the upright frame at the various elevations or bail-locations may be marked certain numbers as indicated at B in Fig. 1, said numbers increasing according` to height. It a player causes the ball 17 to be raised to an elevation as at B2 in Fig. 1 it will for example indicate that the player has made a drive of 200 yards. li

the player makes an exceptionally long, hard drive the ball will strike a bell 26, suitably fixed as shown in Fig. 2 near the top of the device.

To release the ball 17 from any position it may stop in after a play has been made, the lever 25 is manipulated so that the rod 23 is raised, tilting all the bails 21 simultaneously out of the path of the ball which is thus free to drop down to resting position on the lever 19 and the play may be repeated after rod 23 is released and dropping all the bails back to horizontal positions. rlhe lever 25 is shown as pivotally mounted at 26 to the side of base-member lO'nearest a player, the free end of said lever being accessible as at L. Other suitable means for raising and releasing the bail manipulating rod 23 may be used.

27 in Fig. 1 designates a knee-jointbrace at the joined parts of the device to hold the base and upright members in proper rigid positions.

The base of our device is preferably set below a floor level, 28, so as to be about flush i therewith and only the ball 15 is exposed.

In Fig. 4 we have illustrated a carriagereturn or recoil device comprising a spring actuated slidably mounted rod 29 longitudinal of and between the bars l0, said rod having its head 29H in the path of an obstruction member C4 projecting below the carriage C, said rod being normally spring pressed by a coil spring 30 toward the rear. This device acts also as a shock absorber stopping the carriage at a point where it has rocked lever 19 downwardly as far as necessary. The carriage having thus compressed the spring will be immediately pushed back bythe subsequent expansion of said spring toward the outer ends of the rails 12. A. suitable stop such as a transverse pin 31 (Fig. 1) may be used to limit the return movement of the carriage.

Our invention and the operation thereof has now been fullydisclosed. It is obvious danger or" the head thereof coming in contact with the upright part.

lVe claim:

1. A portable game apparatus of the class described comprising an elongated base frame member and a normally vertical frame member extending from and connected withv one end ot said base frame, a track having rails fixed longitudinally on said base member and a roller-mounted carriage guided be tweeny said rails, a ball xed to said carriageY in normal spaced relationto and above said carriage andadapted to be struck by suitable club means to impel the ball and said car riage toward the vertical frame, vertical guide rod means in said vertical frame and a' ball reciprocable therein, a beam ylever mounted in the base frame in normally in clined position andvoscillatable in the vertical plane, said ball off the vertical frame member normally resting on one arm of said lever, the other arm of said lever in the path of said carriage and arrangedto be engaged thereby to impel the vertically movable ball upwardly, and yieldable, pivoted means arranged at predetermined spaced intervals vertically on the upright frame, each .comprising atilt lever with one arm in the path of said vertically movable ball and an outer arm normally in horizontal position, said lever pivoted to permit free upward movenient when engaged by upward movement of the said ball past it, and the engaged arm thereof adaptedto drop into originalposition and support the ball dropping Vback thereon and means for manipulating all said levers upwardlyV simultaneously and out ot' the path of said vertically movable ball.

2. A. portable game apparatus of the class described comprising an elongated base frame member and a normally vertical frame member extending fromvand connected with one end of said base frame, a track having rails fixed longitudinally on said base member and a roller-mounted carriage guided between said rails, a ball fixed to said carriage in normal spaced relation to and above said carriage and adapted to be struck by suitable club means to impel the ball and said carriage toward the vertical frame, vertical guide rod means in said vertical frame and a ball re!` ciprocable therein, a beam lever mounted in the base frame in normally inclined position lili and oscillatable in the vertical plane, said ball of the vertical frame member normally resting on one arm of said lever, the other` arm of said lever in the path of said carriage and arranged to be engaged thereby to impel the vertically movable ball upwardly, and yieldable, pivoted means arranged at predetermined spaced intervals vertically on the upright frame, each comprising a tilt lever with one arm in the path of said vertically movable ball and an outer arm normally in horizontal position, said lever pivoted to permit iree upward movement when engaged by upward movement of the said ball past it, and the engaged arm thereof adapted to drop into original position and support the ball dropping back thereon; and means for manipulating all said levers upwardly simultaneously and out of the path of said vertically movable ball, comprising an elongated release rod mounted parallel to the upright frame member, and adapted to be reciprocated vertically, liXed pins in said rod in vertically spaced relation and protruding therefrom each in a position to normally engage and support an outer arm of one of said tilt levers in the horizontal plane.

3. A golf-practice game device comprising an elongated horizontal base frame member and rails xed thereto, a roller mounted carriage guided by said rails and a ball on said carriage and above its roller means in a position to be struck by a golf-club or the like to impel the said ball carriage horizontally toward one end of said base member; an upright frame member mounted adjacent said latter end of the base frame, a vertically movable ball in said upright member and means within said base frame operable by contact of the said projected ball carriage to impel the vertically movable ball upwardly in the upright frame and means in said upright frame to retain the said latter ball temporarily at approximately the limit of its elevation to which it has been impelled after each stroke of the horizontally moved ball; and means in the base frame for yieldably engaging and returning said ball carriage to the outer part of the horizontal frame.

4. The structure specified in claim 3 in which said latter means comprises a slidably mounted rod with a head in the path of said movable carriage, a compression coil spring about said rod between its head and a fixed part and arranged to be momentarily further compressed by said carriage near the end of its stroke toward the upright frame and the recoil of the spring to impel said carriage back toward the outer end of said horizontal trame member.

5. A portable golf-practice game device mcomprising an elongated horizontal base member and an upright member suitably connected to one end of the said base member, a ball carriage slldably retained 1n said base member and reciprocable therein coinprising in part a ball member simulating a golf ball and exposed above the upper face of `the base, a ball member in the upright member and guided on vertical guide means therein, said ball of the base member arranged to travel in a horizontal line when struck by a club toward the upright member and means at the junction of said base and upright members to impart vertical movement of the vertically guided ball by Contact of the ball carriage when impelled by a blow directed to project the golf ball toward the upright member.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

MARTIN A. EARLEY. MAURICE ROBERTS. 

